


Rest and Relaxation

by hunnyfresh



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family, Fluff, Happy Ending, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-17
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-12 03:17:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/806566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunnyfresh/pseuds/hunnyfresh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from BluMauser: Regina's never been outside of Storybrooke before, and when Emma discovers the brunette's inner desire to see the world, she helps make it come true</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rest and Relaxation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BluMauser](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=BluMauser).



> Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any recognizable characters
> 
> AN: This is written for BluMauser who was the 200th reviewer of A Fine Line.Prompt: Regina has never traveled anywhere before and SQ first kiss. In this universe, the curse is broken, fairy tale characters are unable to leave the town, and a heck of a whole lot from season two did not happen, and Ruby, despite her not making an appearance in this story, is very much active and a part of the town. I hope you like it, and enjoy reading!

Emma knew something was bothering Regina when she noticed the brunette would become lost in her thoughts, staring at simple wall paintings of landscape or oceans. She knew something was wrong whenever she would walk into the older woman's study and find her shutting her laptop screen abruptly. The Sheriff had tried questioning her, but Regina was as stubborn as she was beautiful, and the older woman would insist there was nothing wrong.

They had been tiptoeing around their feelings for each other for months now. Gone were the excuses that they were civil only for Henry's benefit, and soon both women found that they enjoyed each other's company. After the curse had broken and Emma had returned from the Enchanted Forest, she and the brunette had a long talk prior to their dinner at Granny's and soon after that a friendship formed. Over the months, the friendship turned into something much more that was clearly evident in the air between them, yet neither woman were certain how to proceed to the next stage.

That didn't stop them from having lunch together without the need for Henry to be there, and it sure as hell didn't stop them from casually sitting side by side on the couch as the makeshift family watched whatever TV program Henry had chosen for the night. On more than one occasion would they stare at each other, certain that one of them would make the first move by connecting their lips, but their hesitance and fear of repeated history prevented them from doing anything more than allowing their eyes to wander to the plump lips they so craved.

The progression of their relationship made Emma attune to Regina's feelings, even if the stubborn woman refused to voice them, and it wasn't until she had caught the brunette by surprise did she realize what had been going through Regina's head.

She found the older woman in her room, brochures pilfered from Gold's stock surrounding her as she snipped at the pictures in them and pasted them in a scrapbook.

New York. Hawaii. London. Nearly every tourist city was there.

Tiny scraps littered the floor, and even more pictures of the Empire State Building, white sand beaches, Big Ben, pyramids, exotic animals, the Amazon, filled the pages of the scrapbook.

Emma nodded her head impressed at the project and knocked twice on the open door making her presence known. "Going somewhere?"

Regina jumped, a cut out of the CN Tower in one hand and a glue stick in the other. She immediately dropped the picture and glue and snapped the book shut, scraps of paper flying from the force of the wind.

"What are you doing?" She asked defensively.

Emma held up her hands in surrender. "Thought you might want to get lunch."

The brunette began gathering the brochures and stuffed them in her bedside drawer. "Have you heard of calling ahead?"

"I've heard of it," Emma answered smartly before further entering the room and placing a hand on the closed scrapbook. "What is this?"

"Nothing."

Emma sent her a glare that said she was having none of that, but Regina only returned it in kind. They continued to hold their staring contest, Regina's hand slightly brushing Emma's in an attempt to take back the book, but when the blonde tightened her hold and held her gaze, Regina relented with an exaggerated eye roll and annoyed sigh.

"They're pictures."

"I can see that," Emma said allowing Regina to place the book on her lap and opened it, moving it in between them both.

"My mother was..."

"I know," Emma provided softly.

Regina nodded then continued, flipping through the pages of the scrapbook. "For as long as I could remember, I always wanted to get away."  _The Great Wall of China. Niagara Falls. The Taj Mahal._  "As soon as we came to this world, I thought I'd be able to do as I wish."  _Touring art museums. Gondola rides. Swimming with dolphins._  "I soon found out it was impossible to leave the town."

Emma glanced up from the pictures when Regina looked up sadly. She watched the moment of honesty quickly be masked when Regina cleared her throat and rolled a shoulder nonchalantly. "I suppose the cabin fever is finally getting to me."

Emma traced her fingers over the places she had been. It was ironic that the blonde had moved from state to state in an attempt to run away, yet here was Regina forced to stay put, living vicariously through the snapshots the brochures provided.

"Maybe one day you can," the younger woman offered softly, watching Regina stare longingly at the palm trees of Miami.

Regina gave a tight smile before shutting the scrapbook closed. "I've already accepted that I'm stuck in this town, Emma. It's no use getting my hopes up."

The brunette stood and hid the book in her bedside drawer. "Lunch?"

* * *

Over a month later, conversation about traveling and adventures long forgotten, Regina noticed that right at the crack of dawn, Henry was behaving out of the ordinary. Despite their mending relationship, Regina knew it was difficult getting the boy willingly out of bed even with the use of an alarm clock and the threat of stripping his covers off of the bed, so for the twelve-year old to be knocking, much too loudly, on her door two hours before her usual wake up call on a weekend was quite unusual.

Wiping sleep from her eyes, Regina sat up as quickly as she could before calling out. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Henry answered from behind the door.

Relieved that he needed no medical attention, Regina took her time donning her robe before answering the door, doing her best not to glare at her son for waking her prematurely. The attempt was moot seeing as her face changed to surprise when she saw that Henry was already showered and dressed for the morning. "And just where are you going, young man?"

Henry smiled, cocking his head to the side. "I was thinking we could go for a hike."

"Now?" Regina asked dumbfounded, turning her head to stare out her window to see the dark pink of the brightening sky. "I'm sure the woods will still be intact in an hour or two."

"I know, but it's pretty outside," the boy insisted. "It could be like when I was little, remember?"

Regina did remember. The brunette had instilled a love of nature in her son at a young age, teaching him about various herbs and wildlife, which were safe to eat and which were poisonous. At least once a month, mother and son would get up early, albeit never this early, to hike for a few hours in the forest. If the memory didn't elicit a need to please her son, the wide pleading eyes and jutted out pout sure did.

She nodded softly. "Just give me a minute to get dressed and I'll make us some breakfast first."

"I got it all covered," Henry stated, patting his backpack. "I figured we have some granola bars on the way there, hike, and then breakfast at Granny's, and maybe we could go the stables, and you can show me stuff there."

Regina smirked and raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's quite the itinerary. Is there anything else I should know about?"

Henry grinned. To anyone else it would look like a simple smile, but to Regina she could see the mischievous glint in her son's eye. "Nope."

The brunette stared at him for a moment longer hoping he'd crack, but her twelve-year old had grown immune to her stares long ago. Finally she nodded, asking him to wait downstairs as she dressed.

As soon as Henry heard the shower run, he sprinted to the foyer, pulling out the walkie talkie from his bag before whispering into it. "Eagle is in the nest. I repeat, the eagle is in the nest. ETA: 20 minutes."

"Kid," Emma's voice sounded. "What did we talk about me losing the code book?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "She's in the shower. We should be out of house in 20 minutes. I've already unlocked the back door."

"Clever kid."

"Duh. Do you know who my moms are?"

* * *

Regina, due to her inherent paranoid nature, was quite suspicious of Henry's detailed plan for the morning, but she was never one to stare a gift horse in the mouth, especially when it came to Henry. Her son  _wanted_  to spend time with her, and she was more than willing to go along with it.

The ride to the entrance of the forest's trail was spent in companionable silence as they shared a small meal of granola bars and water. She refrained from yawning, not willing to break her dignified disposition, but she had to admit, the pink glow from the rising sun was quite beautiful.

When she parked by the entrance and zipped up her fitted sweater tightly, she had opted out of a wind breaker knowing the temperature would soon raise substantially as it usually did during the summer months, and moved around the car to stand with Henry. "You were right about the view. It's marvellous."

The boy grinned and clasped his hand around her bicep, tugging her towards the forest. "Just wait. It gets better."

* * *

Henry was right. The hike, although it was strangely difficult for the brunette despite the fact that she stayed the same age for the past twenty-eight years, had taken quite the toll on the brunette, but she loved every moment of it. As they trudged through the brushes and ducked under low hanging branches, Regina quizzed Henry, testing his memory of all the things she had taught him as a child. She was impressed and more than a little pleased that the boy was able to identify every flower and herb.

"All right, and what's the rule about poison ivy?" Regina asked.

"Leaves of three, let them be," Henry answered quickly. "Easy."

Regina grinned almost tripping on a root. She swung her head to take in her surroundings only to realize they had travelled off the usual path. She instinctively wrapped an arm around Henry's shoulder. "Perhaps we should head back."

Henry didn't respond and only took her hand from around his shoulder and pulled.

"Henry," the brunette woman scolded.

"We're almost there. You'll love it," the boy promised as he pushed through more shrubbery.

As soon as Regina was tugged through the bushes, she stood with Henry on the edge of a cliff staring out onto the town below them. With the now orange sun just making its way up, the sleepy town was silhouetted against the backdrop. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes, and Regina wasn't immune to it. Her lips parted in awe, breathing in the view of the town she had created.

"Do you like it?" Henry asked smiling up at her with a grin.

"It's beautiful," she replied breathlessly.

Henry kneeled to the ground, opening his bag and pulled out a disposable camera. He took a step back and held it up to his eye level. "Smile, Mom."

Regina turned suddenly, confused at his meaning until she saw the camera. She instinctively covered her glistening face. "Not now, Henry."

"Come on," the boy insisted. "You look great."

Regina hesitantly dropped her hand and attempted to brush the hair out of her face that escaped the claw she used to pin it back. After an impatient yet playful "Mo-om", Regina relented and stood at the edge of the cliff with the backdrop of the rising sun and silhouette of the town behind her as Henry snapped the picture. She motioned the boy over to her and took his place, capturing the moment for him as well.

Her heart swelled in her chest when she had crouched down by her own pack to retrieve a water bottle and was pleasantly surprised when Henry wrapped both arms around her neck from behind and positioned the camera in front of both of them, pleased when he was sure he caught his mother's surprised face.

Regina couldn't be upset though when she felt his arms around her and saw the megawatt smile he threw her way. Perhaps there was no motive behind Henry's plan after all. Maybe her son just wanted to spend time with her for once.

* * *

The morning was spent exactly as Henry had planned. By the time mother and son had returned from their hike, they arrived at the diner just as Ruby was dragging the specials sign to the front.

After a helping of apple pancakes each, hot chocolate for Henry and coffee for Regina, they set out to the stables where Regina met Henry's horse for the first time.

Borrowing one of the stable's steeds, the brunette woman rode alongside with her son out into the pasture. She shook her head playfully when he insisted on snapping more pictures. They trotted along, mother sharing stories and tips on forming a bond with a horse as son listened attentively. Soon enough, Henry's stomach growled signalling lunch time.

The sun was high in the sky, and Regina had to admit that the heat, and the fact that she had been out and about since dawn, was starting to get to her. Lunch was as good an excuse as any to call it a day. "Ready to head home?"

Henry looked nervous as he slid down from his horse and led him into the stable. "Uhmm, hold on."

Without waiting for a response, Henry sprinted out of sight, leaving Regina to get both horses into their stalls and settled down. It was a good ten minutes before Henry returned, causing the brunette mother to raise a curious eyebrow.

He simply grinned. "Yup. We can head home now."

Regina simply continued to hold her questioning stare, but all that she received was a tight lipped smile, signalling he was not spilling anything.

* * *

By noon, Regina had pulled her Benz into the driveway, surprised to see Emma's bug parked on the street with the blonde leaning against the passenger's side door. She turned to Henry, but the question died on her lips when the boy simply ran out of the car and into the house.

Regina stepped out the vehicle, her head tilted as she approached the younger woman. "Can I help you, Sheriff?"

Emma grinned before nodding her head to the back seat, motioning to the duffel bags sitting there.

"Are you going somewhere?" Regina immediately lost her playful tone and looked worried. It was no secret Emma and Henry could leave Storybrooke whenever they pleased.

"Yeah," Emma answered.

Regina's lips parted, but she carefully masked her shock and disappointment, proceeding to wrap her arms tighter around her midriff. "Oh."

The blonde placed a warm hand on Regina's arm. "Come with me."

"You know I can't," Regina snapped.

Emma just grinned and and stepped forward presenting a silk blindfold. "Trust me?"

"What are you doing?" Regina asked uncertainly.

"You need a vacation, and I know just the place," Emma said again. "Trust me."

Her previous question had turned more into a plea, and Regina couldn't help but nod minutely as she stepped towards the younger woman and turned, allowing her to cinch the blindfold over her eyes.

She held tightly onto Emma as the blonde led her into the passenger seat. She could see nothing past the silk, and when she heard her door slam shut beside her, she briefly contemplated her decision until she felt the car shift and Emma slide into the driver's seat. "You okay?"

Regina could only nod, not quite appreciating the loss of one of her senses.

"Don't worry," Emma said softly and suddenly quite close as if by her ear. She felt a warm palm on her thigh, higher above her knee but not quite encroaching on forbidden territory. "I'm right here."

"Okay," Regina relented, relaxing the tense muscles of her back as she placed a palm over Emma's hand to keep her there.

She didn't know how long they drove for. She had lost their sense of direction early on, but as the drive began to reach what felt like its half hour mark, she noticed the radio had stopped playing Radiohead and now presented a low grumble.

"What on earth is that noise you're listening to?" Regina asked appalled.

"Sounds like a plane," Emma said casually, her thumb roving over Regina's thigh in a soothing fashion.

The brunette had to turn her head to hide the visible gulp at the sensation. "There are no planes in Storybrooke."

As soon as the roaring of the plane engine stopped, so did the car. She felt Emma squeeze her thigh reassuringly, promising to be gone only a moment. Before Regina could protest, the blonde was gone. She moved to remove her blindfold, but her side door opened, followed by a firm, "Hey! Leave it on."

The brunette rolled her eyes despite no one being able to see her. She quickly latched onto Emma when she felt the younger woman tug her out of the car. "Where are we?"

"Quiet."

Regina furrowed her brow when she heard a peculiar noise. Like water splashing. "What is that?"

"Hush."

The sound of steel drums played softly in the distance, increasing in volume as Emma guided her somewhere. "Is that music?"

"God, don't you ever shut up for five minutes?" Emma scorned playfully.

The brunette huffed before she continued to slowly walk forward. She paused when she felt the familiar pavement from under her foot turn to something soft and pliable. "Are we- are we at the harbour?"

"No," Emma answered softly before moving behind her to remove the blindfold. "Paradise."

Regina squinted at the bright sun, temporarily blinded. When her vision cleared, she gasped bringing a hand to her chest in shock. Her backyard had transformed from a once prized garden area to a beach. Instead of grass, the lawn was covered with sand, blown up palm trees nestled in the corner, a small volleyball net set up in the middle of the makeshift beach. There were lounge chairs lined up along the edge, a sprinkler set to spray in a corner of the area, tiki torches lined up all along the edge and a small singular cabana tent off to the side.

To say Regina was surprised would have been an understatement.

Regina turned wide eyed to the suddenly nervous blonde who leaned over a beach chair and grabbed a lei, placing it around the older woman's neck. "Welcome to Hawaii...or whatever beach you want to visit."

Regina gaped at the blonde, fingering the artificial flowers around her neck before taking in her backyard beach once more. "How did you get the sand in?"

"Don't worry," Emma rushed to explain and used her foot to clear away a small pile of sand to reveal a tarp underneath it. "It won't completely kill your grass. If it does I'll pay for it." She ran a hand through her hair awkwardly.

Regina was speechless. She stepped onto the sand, grinning at the palm trees, running her hand along the net, and saw a small sand castle already in the process of being built. The heat of the sun, the steel drums of the music, and the ambiance of the waves she was sure she heard before brought the beach atmosphere to life, and she couldn't help but let her grin seep through. "I can't believe you did this."

"It wasn't easy," Emma mumbled, stuffing her hands into her jean shorts pocket and dawdling over.

"Henry," Regina said already weaving together the pieces.

As if on cue, the boy, now dressed in a flower shirt and board shorts, came through the backyard door carrying the two duffels of luggage from Emma's car.

"I figured since we're in Paradise, we could dress the part," Emma said grabbing one of the bags from their son and offering it to Regina while motioning to the tent. "You can change in there."

Regina held the duffel to her, staring at Emma with amazement. Without much thought she leaned over and kissed the blonde's cheek, but just as quickly she all but jogged over to the tent eager to change.

"Phase one complete," Henry said watching his brunette and blonde mother with a knowing grin.

"What?" Emma snapped out of her reveries from watching Regina as well.

"Nothing," Henry grinned before shoving the last duffel to Emma. "I'm gonna play in the water."

Emma opted to change inside. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She was actually quite terrified that Regina would have hated what she did to her backyard, but to her relief, the brunette loved it.

After donning her yellow and blue Corona two piece, she slid her jean shorts back on and decided to keep her tank top off. It was ridiculously hot outside anyhow, and she was in no mood for nasty tan lines. Grabbing her shirt and towel, Emma marched out of the house and straight to the beach in the backyard. Whatever she had expected, it didn't prepare her for the sight that was Regina Mills.

The blonde physically paused in her steps when she caught sight of the brunette as she crouched near Henry who was in the process of dampening the sand around the sprinkler to begin his sand castle. Regina had clearly changed out of her fitted jeans and yoga sweater quickly and was now sporting a white strapless bikini top accentuating the ample cleavage it barely protected and showing off the toned stomach, arms, and neck of the woman it was on. Emma was sure the bottoms matched as well, but she only managed to get a glimpse as the sheer knee length wrap, floral in its design, parted down the woman's side revealing long sun-kissed legs.

Emma must have been standing there for hours since both Regina and Henry looked up, calling the blonde over. She wasted no time in moving towards them joining mother and son in their very serious discussion about the design of Henry's castle.

* * *

Hours passed filled with laughter, smiles, and picture snapping as both mothers and son continued to build their sand castle, Regina smirking at Emma's failed attempted to bury their son since the sand was less than a foot deep. To defend her honour, Emma had challenged the brunette in a game of volleyball to which the brunette merely scoffed and stood, removing her wrap with such grace and purpose that Emma was sure it was meant to entice, and made her way to the other side of the net and picked up the ball.

Emma watched her dumbfounded, not actually expecting the brunette to accept her offer, and when she looked back to Henry to see if she had seen right, the boy simply shrugged and continued on digging out the trench for his moat.

Emma eyed Regina, who was tossing the ball in her hands, and gave her cockiest smile. "Are you sure you want to play in that?"

Regina looked down to her bathing suit, making it a point to firmly adjust her top. "Is there a problem?"

"Nope," Emma smirked getting into position.

Emma shouldn't have been surprised that Regina was good at volleyball. The woman was damn near perfect at everything else, why wouldn't she be good at a sport she had never played?

For the game winning point, Emma spiked the ball, immediately rushing closer to the net when Regina volleyed it over, the ball just grazing the top. Both women jumped up on either side of the net to block the ball from returning but only managed to throw one another off balance as they fell in a heap of limbs, laughter, and smiles.

Neither of them heard Henry mumble, "Stage two complete."

* * *

"Just admit that I won," Emma said from her lounge chair, positioned beside Regina's after the family had eaten a late lunch of hot dogs and shakes out of coconut cups.

The brunette lifted her sunglasses to her head and tilted her neck up further exposing her body to the sun. "To do that it would have had to happen, dear."

Emma chuckled, leaning back and jutting her hips up to shimmy her shorts down her legs. "You're a sore loser."

Regina mentally snorted but peeked an eye open when she sensed movement beside her. Emma was sitting on her lounge chair, the scraps of fabric she called a bikini seemed more indecent than most underwear, but Regina didn't mind one bit. The blonde had a leg propped up on the chair, the other resting firmly in the sand as Emma poured sunblock onto her palm and began to smooth it down toned legs. She followed suit with the other leg and continued to make her body glisten as she lotioned her arms, torso, neck, and face.

Regina shut her eyes immediately when Emma turned and poked her. "Can you get my back?"

"I suppose," the brunette mumbled, attempting to get the image of another reason why Emma would be glistening out of her head as she took the sunblock and poured a generous amount onto her palms.

She felt awkward standing by the blonde, so she simply nudged Emma forward in her chair and sat in the space behind her, the younger woman nestled between her thighs. With careful precision, Regina applied the lotion, feeling the muscles tense and relax, tense and relax at every course her fingers took. Her hands toyed with the ripple of the younger woman's back beneath her palms, her breath hitching feeling just how silky smooth yet firm at the same time. She continued rubbing long after the lotion was gone, the rubbing turning to massaging, until Emma's satisfied moan made both women remember themselves.

Regina shot up, settling back into her own chair with a blush while Emma hid her reddening cheeks behind her hair before offering Regina an apologetic smile.

Despite the moment of weakness, definitely not the first of many, both women bounced back quickly and soon began talking about any and everything.

By dinner time, Henry had finished his sand castle, an impressive attempt at replicating Hogwarts, and the boy insisted that his mothers take a picture with it to add to their ever growing pile of memories.

This time Emma had prepared a seafood platter of shrimp and wild rice for dinner, a fruit smoothie, complete with the miniature umbrella, for Henry and margaritas for herself and Regina. By the time the sun had set, Henry's eyes were already drooping from his long day out in the sun. Regina had coaxed him into bed, following the twelve-year old to make sure he arrived safely instead of knocking out on the stairs.

Her time upstairs gave Emma plenty of time to put the finishing touches of their beach day.

* * *

Regina descended the stairs, her wrap still draped around her waist and a grin prominent on her face. Henry had knocked out before he could even change into his pyjamas, but for the time being, the brunette mother allowed him to sleep as such.

Her day with Henry and Emma had been perfect, and with the setting of the sun, she was sad to see it go. Though how Emma planned on getting the sand out of her backyard was beyond her. She made a beeline for the back door, intent on gathering the dishes but found that they had already been placed in the dishwasher and were currently in their cycle.

She popped her head outside to see where the blonde had gotten to, and Regina gasped out loud when her backyard lit up under the glow of the tiki torches. Emma was straightening back up after dismantling the volleyball ball net but the grin that automatically adorned her face when she made eye contact with Regina made the brunette's heart pick up its pace.

The Sheriff approached her, her shorts back on and accompanied by a button up that was left open, much to Regina's delight. Regina watched as Emma stepped closer and stopped as soon as they were toe to toe. She held her breath when the younger woman tucked a strand of brunette locks behind Regina's ear and kept it pinned back with a fresh white lily.

"Now you've officially gone to the beach at some fancy resort," Emma said.

Regina smiled, biting her lip slightly to hide her blush. "I cannot believe you went to all this trouble."

"Believe it," Emma smirked before offering Regina another margarita and bringing her to the middle of the beach, the music changing to a slow salsa tempo, as they sat under the glow of the fire gently sipping their drinks.

They watched the sun set, fading from navy blue to black as the stars seemed to shine brighter just for today, as if the universe knew what Emma was attempting to accomplish in bringing this woman's dream come true. Sitting in companionable silence was easy. Neither needed to speak when the other was nearby, and neither spoke up about the glances they threw each other's way when they thought the other wasn't looking.

Regina dug her finished drink into the sand, wrapping her arms around her waist before she sighed contentedly, unconsciously leaning against Emma. When she spoke, her voice was low, afraid to break the magic of the night. "Thank you."

Emma leaned closer against Regina, their shoulders blatantly touching. "You deserve it."

"I'd have to disagree with you on that one, but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless."

Emma smirked knowing when to pick her battles. "So you have 'watch the sunset on the beach' checked off on things to do on vacation. I think there's one more before we can officially call you a tourist."

"Oh?" Regina asked curious watching Emma leave her drink in the sand and turn the music up only slightly. She automatically reached for the blonde when Emma offered her hands to lift her up.

Emma pulled her close, a hand on her lower back and another holding up Regina's palm. "Dancing in the moonlight."

Regina laughed softly shaking her head at the absurdity. "Since when did that become a requirement?"

"Just now," Emma decided.

They swayed together, their eyes never leaving one another's. Brown enraptured by green. Green captivated by brown.

No one had ever gone to such a length to provide her with such a joy before. No one had ever cared. Not until Emma. The feeling and realization was both frightening and hopeful.

"How come you did all this?" Regina asked tentatively, her body inadvertently preparing itself for rejection.

"For you," Emma answered confused.

"But why?" Regina insisted.

Emma furrowed her brow as if she were choosing her words very carefully. "That smile on your face, when you first saw the beach, when we took all those pictures, when I creamed you in volleyball," she smirked at the brunette's glare, "when we were just sitting here watching the sun go down. I want to see that smile more often, and if I get to put it on you, then added bonus."

Regina gulped audibly, refusing to look anywhere but at the vulnerable jade eyes above her. Whether the blonde was aware of it or not, Regina had noticed that Emma had made the first move, the first admission, had opened the door for her emotions to get trampled on.

Emma felt unsettled by Regina's silence and cleared her throat. "You know what's another crucial part of being a tourist?"

"What's that?" Regina asked, light from the flames flickering off face.

"Vacation flings." Emma waggled her eyebrows boldly, a playful smirk on her lips.

Regina removed her hand from Emma's grip and stepped closer, weaving both arms around the younger woman's neck. To her satisfaction, Regina was pleased when Emma's hands instinctively found purchase around her waist. "What if I don't want a fling?"

Emma opened her mouth to speak, but Regina pressed closer, the heat of their taut stomachs coming into contact scorched blessedly from the pressure. Her lips were inches away from the blonde's plump pink ones. "What if I want want someone for more than one night who puts a smile on my face?"

Their hot breaths mingled together, Emma's eyes fluttering, struggling to stay open. By sheer willpower, she whispered back. "You don't need to go on vacation to find that person."

"I know," Regina breathed out before Emma's lips met her own in a hot, searing kiss.

This moment was long overdue. Regina poured her gratitude and care into the kiss, her hands weaving through Emma's hair and pulling her closer, trying to press harder. Emma responded in kind, tugging the brunette up by the waist forcing Regina onto her tippy toes. Their lips tingled at the much needed relief of finally moving as one. No longer were gazes held stagnate on plump lips, and no longer would either woman wonder how the other tasted like.

They knew.

The brunette slanted her head, parting her lips when she felt Emma's tongue slide home and explore Regina's mouth. Soon Regina's tongue flicked at Emma's, and simply by pressing further it was Regina who had deepened the kiss. For long minutes, Regina and Emma kissed under the moonlight, in the glow of the fire, in the middle of the beach with the waves of the ocean in the background.

When they finally pulled apart, their forehead pressed together, they were breathless, Emma with her lips tilted upwards in a shy smile, and Regina with her lips parted and tongue snaking out to wet her moist and bitten lip. Like magnets they drew closer together once more, peppering chaste kisses from lips to jaw until they came together for her another kiss full of passion and promise.

* * *

Two weeks later, Emma found Regina, now her girlfriend, in her bedroom, a scrapbook in her lap.

"Hey," Emma smiled, knocking against the wall making her presence known.

Regina looked up mimicking her grin and held a hand out to the blonde who took it and sat beside Regina on the bed, her arm already automatically wrapping around the older woman's shoulder.

"I made a new scrapbook," Regina said flipping through the pages to show off the pictures they had taken on that fateful day.

The picture of her and Henry in the forest at the cliff was also accompanied by many brochure pictures of the amazon. The one of Regina and Emma, both wearing leis and holding coconut cups was on a page captioned 'Hawaii'. The photograph of Emma attempting to bury Henry in the sand was headed by 'Cancun'. The pages were filled with a combination of photographs and pictures, and all contained little stories in the margins where Regina had written little anecdotes of the event.

Emma couldn't help but grin. "Looks like you got to see the world."

Regina closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against Emma's firmly before smiling into the kiss. She shut the scrapbook and placed it on her bedside table where the scrapbook sat embossed with the title 'Family Vacations'.

**THE END**


End file.
